Title: Dandelions a sign that a park is chemical free, park district says

[Chicago Tribune 13 May 2014 by Juan Perez Jr.] — Don't mind the dandelions, the Chicago Park District is telling residents this spring. It's all part of the plan: officials say the yellow-bloomed weeds show a neighborhood park is free of chemicals. Chicago is touting its fifth year of working with the Midwest Pesticide Action Center to limit the use of weed-killing chemicals in parks. The park district says roughly 90 percent of its parks avoid spraying chemicals to kill what some might deem an unsightly nuisance. This ongoing effort comes as an anti-pesticide push from environmental and public health groups has taken hold recently, targeting the negative side effects of synthetic chemicals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that some 857 million pounds of conventional pesticide were used in the country in 2007. Roughly 20 percent of that was linked to home and garden use or industrial, commercial and governmental efforts. But Chicago's park district says it now uses "natural lawn care basics" to keep weeds down. The department says it keeps grass at a height of roughly three inches, allowing the grass to shade out some weeds. But let's be honest, these techniques can also save money. The Tribune reported in 2011 that at $240 an acre, spraying weedkiller would cost $1.4 million for each application. In 2010, the Evanston City Council passed a resolution to phase out pesticides except for limited circumstances. Now the city uses them only for problem spots, athletic fields and a rose garden. Lisle and Orland Park also began natural lawn care projects that year. Maintaining a verdant lawn can be a frustrating turf war, so the park district is urging residents to try some natural lawn care. Their tips:

• Water deeply but infrequently – the district says an inch per week is ideal.
• Keep a lawn at least three inches tall to increase root strength and shade out some weeds.
• Keep grass clippings on the lawn for an efficient natural fertilizer. Comment

Original Source





Article: WeedsNews4875 (permalink)
Categories: :WeedsNews:herbicide reduction, :WeedsNews:non-chemical control, :WeedsNews:policy, :WeedsNews:reserves
Date: 20 May 2014; 8:36:42 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time

Author Name: David Low
Author ID: adminDavid